World Wrap: A deadly blaze engulfs a Russian hospital, South Korea removes workers from joint industrial park, and survivors are pulled from rubble in Bangladesh as number of dead death toll rises. Read more here.

A garment factory building collapsed in Bangladesh, killing almost 100 people.

People rescue garment workers trapped under rubble at the Rana Plaza building after it collapsed, in Savar, 30 km (19 miles) outside Dhaka April 24, 2013.REUTERS/Andrew Biraj

by Clare Richardsonon Apr 24, 2013 at 2:22 PM

Fire fighters and army personnel worked frantically through the day at the Rana Plaza building in Savar, 30 km (19 miles) outside Dhaka, to rescue people trapped in the rubble. Television showed young women workers, some apparently semi-conscious, being pulled from the debris.

One fireman told Reuters that about 2,000 people were in the building when the upper floors jolted down on top of each other.

A report by Human Rights Watch released today finds Russia has unleashed the worst human rights crackdown since Soviet times.

The authorities have introduced a series of restrictive laws, begun a nationwide campaign of invasive inspections of nongovernmental organizations, harassed, intimidated, and in a number of cases imprisonedpolitical activists, and sought to cast government critics as clandestine enemies. The report analyzes the new laws, including the so-called “foreign agents” law, the treason law, and the assembly law, and documents how they have been used.

It all started when Moldova's top judiciary and businessmen gathered in a snow-laden forest called Tsar's Wood to mark the year's end by stalking wild boar. In the course of the hunt, a shot rang out and a man fell fatally wounded.

Someone in the 32-strong private party of VIP amateur hunters had accidentally discharged his rifle. The 41-year-old businessman died the next day but the shot has echoed through Moldovan politics, felling prime minister Vlad Filat and threatening the ex-Soviet state's drive for a place in the European mainstream.

World Wrap: A wealthy businessman wins the presidency in Paraguay, victims mobilize after deadly China quake, and Indians rage as another suspect is arrested in relation to a young girl’s rape. Read more here.

World Wrap: Maduro ekes out a win during Venezuela’s weekend election, Bahrain’s Shi’ites use the Grand Prix to protest against government, and North Korea’s celebration is surprisingly mellow. Read more here.

World Wrap: Venezuela’s presidential candidates prepare for weekend elections, North Korea tones down the bluster, and Syria is reluctant to permit chemical weapons probe. Read more on today's top stories here.

World wrap: Jihadists face the test of government in Syrian city, Iran picks shaky spot for a nuclear reactor, and Brazilian Indians face off with agricultural interests. More on today's top stories here.

World Wrap: Britain’s ‘Iron Lady’ dies following a stroke, North Korea irks world leaders by closing industrial park, and extremist Buddhist Monks in Myanmar incite violence against Muslims. Read more on today's top stories here.

World powers believe talks with Iran over its contentious nuclear program have been substantial enough for diplomacy to continue, a senior Western diplomat said on Monday, days after a meeting in Kazakhstan failed to yield a breakthrough.

"There is enough substance for these negotiations to continue," the diplomat told reporters. "I would not expect a breakdown."

The six powers - the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - want Iran to scale back its nuclear program because of concerns it aims to give the Islamic Republic the capability of making an atom bomb. Iran denies that.

A video posted to YouTube appears to show Syrian President Bashar Assad's wife, Asma Assad, addressing women on Mother's Day. In the footage, she is seen dining and thanking women for their sons' service:

As the industrial zone jointly run by the two Koreas continues to operate, South Korean President Park Geun-hye pledges a strong and swift military response to any North Korean provocation. Sarah Toms reports.

World Wrap: Cypriots remain orderly as banks finally reopen, the U.S. warns Kim Jong-un by flying Stealth bombers over South Korea, and an investigation into Russian oligarch’s mysterious death opens. Read more on today's top stories here.

ISTANBUL, March 28 (Reuters) - Turkey has deported at least 600 Syrians staying at a refugee camp near the border after clashes with Turkish military police in a protest over living conditions, a Turkish official said on Thursday.

"These people were involved in yesterday's violence, they were seen by the security cameras in the camp," an official in the camp told Reuters by telephone. "Between 600 and 700 have been deported. The security forces are still looking at the footage, and if they see more they will deport them."

World Wrap: North Korea announces it will cut communication channels with the South, a new pope profile reveals a keen political mind, and Syria’s opposition says denied missile request sends message of support to Assad. Read more on today's top stories here.

The Syrian opposition flag is seen in front of the seat of the Syrian delegation at the opening the Arab League summit in Doha March 26, 2013. A summit of Arab heads of state opened in the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday expected to focus on the war in Syria as well as on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

Taliban suicide bombers kill five Afghan police as Kerry visits Kabul

People gather near pieces of broken glass at the site of a suicide attack in Jalalabad March 26, 2013. Taliban suicide bombers killed at least five policemen in Afghanistan's restive east on Tuesday, officials said, in a three-hour attack that coincided with a visit to the country by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. REUTERS/Parwiz

World Wrap: Cyprus and the EU strike bailout deal hours before deadline, John Kerry makes surprise visit, and the Free Syrian Army founder loses his leg in a blast. Read more on today's top stories here.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd R) steps off a helicopter as he prepares to board an aircraft to leave Iraq at Baghdad International Airport March 24, 2013. Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and said he told Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of his concern about Iranian flights over Iraq carrying arms to Syria. REUTERS/Jason Reed

World Wrap: Cypriot officials must agree on a bailout plan without Russia, Putin’s pick to head the central bank raises eyebrows, and Myanmar officials declare a state of emergency after days of violence. Read more on today's top stories here.

AMSTERDAM, March 21 (Reuters) - The Hague-based chemical weapons regulator has been asked to assist the United Nations in an investigation into a possible attack in Syria, it said in a statement on Thursday.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said the allegations were serious and it would comply with the request.

World Wrap: Cyprus stands on shaky ground after rejecting the European Union’s bailout conditions, al Qaeda claims responsibility for bomb attacks in Baghdad, and South Korea suspects the North of involvement in a widespread hacking attack. Read more on today's top stories here.

U.S. President Barack Obama walks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and President Shimon Peres upon his arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv March 20, 2013. Obama said at the start of his first official visit to Israel on Wednesday that the U.S. commitment to the security of the Jewish state was rock solid and that peace must come to the Holy Land. REUTERS/Jason Reed

WASHINGTON No negotiations can be held with North Korea until it improves its behavior, a White House official said on Wednesday, raising questions about U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's offer to begin talks with Pyongyang any time and without pre-conditions. | Video

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